4. Kintore Railway Project - Fiona introduced Paul Finch from the Infrastructure Services Section at Aberdeenshire Council who attended this month’s meeting with regards to an update about the Kintore railway station. He advised that a public meeting would be held at the Bothie on 14th March 2018 with 2pm – 3pm being open to residents who would be most affected by the works followed with a public drop in session from 3-8pm for anyone who would like to attend.

5. POLICE REPORT -Interest InformationSince the last meeting the following crimes of note for the local area have been recorded:

On 21st January a high-performance vehicle was stolen from Jim Reid Garage. Entry was gained by forcing security fencing. Enquiries are ongoing with positive lines of enquiry being followed.

On 29th January there was report of a theft of a 3-figure sum of money at an address in Deans Court. There are suspects however there has been insufficient evidence to charge.

On 4th February there was a report of a taxi fraud whereby a named individual of Kintore failed to pay a high value taxi fare. The male is to be traced and charged.

On 6th February a motorist was charged with parking on the zigzag crossing on Northern Road whilst not having insurance for her vehicle.

On 18th February there was a report of vandalism to a house in Smithfield whereby a brick was thrown through a window. This is at the early stages of enquiry.

One motorist was charged with travelling at 104mph on the A96 and another charged with drink driving.

Feedback on police actions in response to matters raised at the previous meting

It appears that the janitor at the new Midmill School has complained about boy racers in the carpark there. A consultation is taking place to decide if traffic calming measures are required to deter them.

Speed checks will continue to be carried out in the area and cones were laid out on the new white chevron area opposite the Station Garage. This appears to have been successful so far in keeping cars away from this area.

Details of actions in response to matters raised at the previous meetingNothing to report

Ongoing local/force-wide engagement activitiesNothing to report

6. Approval of Minute of last meeting –Brian Johnstone proposed the approval of the minute and was seconded by Ann Marston.

7. MINUTE OF PREVIOUS MEETING – MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTE -• Council flood mitigation plans for Kingsfield Road areaFiona had yet to make contact with Bruce Allan in respect of the above but will aim to have an update by next months meeting. A letter of agreement has been drawn up by the council between them and Bruce Allan and has been sent. It has been made clear in the agreement that no negotiations will be made with regards to the matter of compensation to Bruce Allan for the extra area of land required for the bund. An independent District valuer will value the land and that value will be offered. All 3 questions Mr Allan has previously asked have also been answered in this agreement. The council are still awaiting a response but have clarified that as soon as the agreement is signed starting work is a priority matter.

• Tuach Hill AccessA letter has been sent to Malcolm Allan and the matter is progressing. An update should be available at the next meeting. Access questionnaire forms are available from the library, post office and online if anyone would like to participate.

• A96 Dualling East of HuntlyBilly Gordon, Landowner and Communities Manager will be contacted and invited along to a future meeting to discuss once possible routes have been identified.

• Community Resilience Planning(CRP)The plan is finished and has been circulated within the councillors. It has been recommended that a 2 page summary goes out to the community. Brian is currently working on this. Arrangements are underway with Dyce Carriers for transportation of the generator. It will be delivered to Thern Lifting at Bourtie industrial estate and will be transported to site when needed. An electrician who is willing to carry out work has also been sourced.

• BT Broadband updateUnfortunately, there are no updates at the moment.

8. TREASURERS REPORT – Joan reported that there are no outstanding cheques and that the account balance is sitting at £7995.28.

9. YOUTH REPORT – Rachel has suggested that she would like to start a Girls Only group at the Bothie and has a few ideas for this that she is looking in to. A talk on Alcohol and Drug Awareness took place and was open to the public although not many adults attended. There will be a repeat of this talk on Monday 26th February, 2018 for anyone who missed it but is keen to attend.

Action Kintore Ltd is keen to widen community group use of the Bothie through perhaps starting Mens/Ladies Lunch Clubs as well as a Mens Shed Club. There is adequate room at the side of the Bothie for a workshop if needed to store tools etc.

ENQ/2018/0267 Land to the west of Thainstone Business Park. Proposal of application notice for erection of business start-up units and key depot facility providing covered and external storage, vehicle washing and fuelling with associated welfare facilities and car parking.

APP/2018/0115 8 Henderson Crescent, Kintore. Full planning permission for alterations and extension to dwellinghouse. The above proposals were discussed and it was agreed that the **first application will be looked into as it is thought this may be an historical application. Planning Services are to be contacted in regards to this. No action is required for the other two applications.**On further investigation, the first application appears to be a tenant exercising her right-to-buy and therefore requires no further action.

11. CORRESDONDENCEThere is to be a review of Aberdeenshire’s Minor Injury Units at the Acon Centre in Inverurie on 13/03/18 from 3-7pm for anyone who is interested in attending. A public information sheet is also available from Fiona if required.

Aberdeenshire Council is developing new strategies for Cultural Sport and Physical Activity and are keen for any community input. A link to the survey is available on Kintore.org.uk.

There is a huge problem with recycling in Aberdeenshire especially with people not using the green food caddies. The council has set up an online survey called The Big Recycling Challenge and are looking for input and suggestions on how to get more people to recycle. The link is also available on Kintore.Org for anyone who would like to participate.

12. ABERDEENSHIRE COUNCILLORS UPDATE –After receiving numerous complaints Glen has contacted the Managing Director of Stagecoach with regards to the reduced/poor service of buses through Kintore. Stagecoach are prioritising their Inverurie to Aberdeen service due to there being more demand for an express service to Aberdeen. Currently there is only 1 bus per hour that travels between Kintore and Inverurie.

A cycle route to Kemnay is being looked into and a possible route being assessed. There are currently 4 route options between Blackburn and Kintore. The council are looking into which route to select with work starting on the chosen route in the near future.

13. AOCB Ainslie Reid would like to place 2 new planters outside the Town House at a cost of £1700 each. Ainslie is willing to fundraise for part of the cost of these and the KDCC will fund the balance. Ainslie also noted that the coat of arms at the Town Hall is in need of repainting with it last being painted in the millennium. Both Kens are going to look into this.